SXSW 2014: Everything Is Better In Slow Motion

With hundreds upon hundreds of bands and tens of thousands of music lovers descending upon Austin for just five days, South by Southwest moves pretty fast. So we slowed it down for you. Because they're awfully considerate, NPR Music's video team — led by Mito Habe-Evans — picked out some of the fastest moments at SXSW 2014 and made them go real slow.

There's something about the way that Future Islands lead singer Samuel Herring moves that's hypnotic. If you've been trying to follow along with his steps, here's the place to start. Just a few seconds of the band's Thursday night set at Cheer Up Charlie's, but with the brakes on, so you can catch every undulation.

The Trophy Club on 6th Street in Austin has windows open wide to the street, and through them our video guru Mito Habe-Evans sat and watched the mechanical bull tempt the brave and stupid alike for nearly 30 minutes late on Thursday night. Other people would try the bull and fall off immediately, but these guys have clearly had some practice.

On Friday, NPR Music took over the back yard of local boutique/coffee shop Friends & Neighbors to shoot a series of short concert videos. One of those sets was by the mambo band Sergio Mendoza y La Orkesta. Here, the fancy feet of singer Salvador Duran-Maracas double as stomping, percussion.

Occasionally in Austin, you come across crowds in the street, usually gathered around a drummer or a band that's starting the party. This time, there was just a crowd, and music coming out of a nearby storefront and lots of jumping.

You know what's happening here. It's just more fun to see it in slo-mo.